Chapter 1-3

3

He Yajun frowned, the smile on her lips vanished, and she narrowed her eyes, staring at her quietly for a while before speaking: "Oh, it's you. What a coincidence."

“Yes, it’s me.” Qiao Ruo ignored the change in his expression, tried to keep her voice steady, and looked straight at him. “I didn’t expect you to be here. But I think, no matter what, we are practically old classmates. Since we’ve run into each other, it would be inappropriate for me to pretend I didn’t see you. I should greet you in person.”

He Yajun remained noncommittal: "It is my honor that Miss Qiao still remembers me after so many years."

His tone was very calm, and Qiao Ruo couldn't tell if his words were sarcastic. She knew her behavior seemed inappropriate, but it was too late to change her mind.

"For so many years, I've wanted to formally apologize to you, but I've never had the courage, nor have I found the right opportunity... I..."

“Miss Qiao,” He Yajun interrupted her, then suddenly laughed, “If I remember correctly, we weren’t in the same class in high school, and we didn’t even exchange a single word throughout high school. The only time we spoke was after we went to university, when we chatted online for a few minutes and never met again. I don’t think you’ve done anything that you need to apologize to me for.”

Qiao Ruo was speechless, unsure of what to say next.

He Yajun still had a smile on his face: "No matter what, it's always a happy thing to meet an old classmate again, but it's getting late now, and I've had a few drinks, so I'm really sleepy." He covered his mouth and yawned, then turned around and pointed to a villa hotel not far away. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to the hotel to rest first."

Hearing his gentle words, Qiao Ruo's eyes stung, as if tears were about to fall. She lowered her head, blinked a few times, and forcefully suppressed the intense surge of emotion.

She forced a smile, looked up to meet his gaze, and nodded: "Okay, then you should get some rest. But... can we see each other again tomorrow?"

She had a premonition that he would reject her, but after a brief silence, He Yajun actually nodded: "Of course, I'm free tomorrow, so I can be with you whenever you have time."

"I'll come here to wait for you at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, okay?"

He Yajun's smile deepened: "It seems a bit much to make a lady wait for me. How about this, I'll pick you up from your place tomorrow morning, and then we'll find a place to have lunch together."

"We can have dinner together?" Qiao Ruo could hardly believe her ears. She paused for a moment before remembering to agree, "Okay."

"Then it's settled." His eyes appeared unusually deep under the dim streetlights.

She noticed he was starting to look tired and said goodbye, "I'm leaving now. Goodnight, see you tomorrow."

Just as she was about to turn away, she heard him chuckle softly: "If it's convenient, give me your phone number. I'll call you before I leave tomorrow."

She quickly took out her phone, wrote down the number he gave her, and then dialed his number.

He hung up her call and suddenly asked, "Do you need me to take you back to your hotel?"

Qiao Ruo appreciated his politeness, but knew she couldn't let herself continue to take up his time, so she shook her head: "I live very close to here, I'll be there soon."

He Yajun didn't say anything more, waved her hand, and turned to leave.

Qiao Ruo also turned around, took a few steps, and then turned back. She stared intently in the direction he left until his figure completely disappeared inside the grandly decorated hotel entrance before she looked away and strolled back to her guesthouse.

The guesthouse was as quiet as it had been during the day. She went into her room, washed up quickly, and lay down on the bed. As expected, she couldn't fall asleep at all, her mind filled with the scene of meeting and talking with He Yajun that night.

Over the years, she had fantasized countless times about talking to him face-to-face. Yet, in every scenario, his expression was one of disgust and indifference, unlike tonight when he appeared calm, without any resistance, and courteous. Not only that, he readily agreed to her request to meet again, even suggesting they have dinner together and exchange phone numbers.

Does this mean he has let go of his anger and prejudice, and won't attach any other identity to her besides that of an alumnus? Or is his response merely a polite gesture, something he would do politely and try to accommodate if anyone else spoke to him...?

She held her phone with both hands, staring blankly at his name in her contacts.

As if by some strange twist of fate, she copied his phone number, opened WeChat, entered the number into the "Add Friends" screen, and a profile picture and WeChat name immediately appeared on the screen.

He didn't use a nickname; his WeChat name was simply "He Yajun," and his profile picture was an unremarkable landscape photo.

As if controlled by an invisible hand, she sent him a friend request almost unconsciously, and then held her breath, waiting for him to accept.

For the next hour, she repeatedly checked WeChat, but there was still no response. It would be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed, but she comforted herself, thinking that everything that had happened tonight was already an extra gift from fate, and she should be content.

It wasn't until 9 a.m. the next day that He Yajun approved her application: "Sorry, I just woke up and only just saw your message."

Staring at that sentence for a long time, Qiao Ruo's emotions, which she had finally managed to calm down, began to fluctuate again. She belatedly realized that over the years, apart from that apology, the only thing she had secretly rehearsed was a few words of confession, and she had no other things to talk about.

He immediately followed up with another message: Are you up yet?

She composed herself and answered him in the same manner: "I'm up."

He replied quickly: Okay, I'll come find you later. Send me your location.

Qiao Ruo did as she was told. Holding her phone, she silently read through the several WeChat messages He Yajun had sent, word by word, and slowly a smile appeared on her face.

She walked to the window and opened all the curtains. This guesthouse wasn't by the sea, and it was surrounded by other similar guesthouses. All she could see were the courtyards and walls of other guesthouses. Fortunately, the sky had cleared up, and the sun was shining lazily down, no longer giving her the oppressive feeling of the previous night.

After idly passing the time for more than half an hour, Qiao Ruo checked her makeup in the mirror one last time to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, and finally put on her high heels and went out.

She didn't want to wait any longer, so after leaving the guesthouse, she followed the route she took the night before and headed towards the hotel where He Yajun was staying.

Before she even reached the place where she and He Yajun had stopped to talk the night before, she saw him walking towards her.

Compared to his appearance at night, he appeared taller and more handsome during the day, with a more charming face. Although we had just met last night, he still seemed somewhat unfamiliar, but his calm gaze, with a slight smile, somewhat eased the distance between us.

He Yajun approached, paused for a moment, quickly scanned her from head to toe, then looked away slightly, and asked, somewhat making conversation, "Have you had breakfast?"

Qiao Ruo blushed slightly at his fleeting surprise. She was rather short, only 1.55 meters tall, but her figure was well-proportioned, neither too thin nor too plump, with curves in all the right places. Wearing high heels, her height was completely negligible. Her face was a classic oval shape; her features weren't those of a stunning beauty, but she was considered pretty among ordinary people. Her eyes, in particular, were clear and bright. As her former colleague had described them, "pure and innocent like a child, making you want to get closer and kiss them." Today, to leave a good impression on He Yajun, she had not only washed her hair after getting up, but also applied her makeup meticulously. She exuded a gentle and sweet aura, a stark contrast to her slightly dejected appearance the night before.

She told herself: There's nothing to be embarrassed about. This makeup isn't deliberately elaborate, let alone trying to please anyone. Besides, you're a mature woman now. You've been praised and pursued before. You don't need to feel inferior in front of anyone.

She smiled slightly: "I've eaten. What about you?"

He nodded: "However, the hotel breakfast is just so-so. We definitely need to choose a better restaurant for lunch."

She was delighted to hear this: "Okay!"

Just then, a tour guide led a group of elderly people past, chattering away. He Yajun gestured for her to move further in: "This island isn't very big. The more famous attractions are Sunlight Rock, Shuzhuang Garden, then there's the church, the museum, and these houses with exotic styles built of red bricks. Where would you like to go?"

Today is Saturday, and there are many more tourists than yesterday. The alley is bustling with people. Qiao Ruo doesn't like going to tourist attractions where there are crowds, and her high heels don't allow her to climb up and down the stairs. Most importantly, she wants to get a good look at He Yajun and listen to him talk, without being disturbed by others.

"The weather is nice today. I'd like to go sit by the sea, is that alright?"

He Yajun had no objection: "Okay, let's go to Gangzaihou Beach then, it's closer."

Qiao Ruo walked alongside him, trying to start a conversation to avoid an awkward silence: "This isn't your first time here, is it?"

“No, the last time I came here was the year I graduated from university. A classmate of mine was from this area, and I went back to China with him. Before returning to Ma Shi, we came here first.” He paused for a moment and continued, “You should have seen my classmate last night. He’s the owner of that music bar.”

Qiao Ruo was taken aback, feeling somewhat embarrassed, as she had thought he hadn't noticed her at the time.

"That experience wasn't good. It was the middle of summer, and it was so hot that people didn't dare to stay outdoors for long. This time, it was much more comfortable."

"I don't like summer either, and I try to avoid traveling during this season."

"It seems your work hours are relatively flexible, allowing you to travel during your favorite season."

She hesitated for a moment and said, "I resigned. The one thing I have plenty of now is time."

He didn't seem to be the kind of person with strong curiosity. He didn't press her for the reason for resigning, but just nodded: "It's a wise choice to occasionally take a break from the stressful and busy work, give yourself a vacation, and readjust your state."

Qiao Ru hummed in agreement, then grew a little bolder: "What about you? You didn't quit your job like me, did you?"

"No, I'm on vacation right now."

"Have you been in the US all these years?" Just like when she heard the news that he would go to the US for college after graduating from high school in her senior year of high school, she still felt that it was a very distant place that she could never reach, which made her feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

"yes."

"So...when do you plan to go back to the United States?"

He glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips: "I remember you once said you really wanted to see life in America. Why don't you come with me to America this time? I'll keep my promise and be your tour guide."

His answers were casual, making it impossible to tell if he was telling the truth, but Qiao Ruo's heart was in turmoil. Back when she was a freshman in college, unable to bear the pain of missing him, she used a fabricated name to add him on QQ, claiming to be his high school classmate and expressing her interest in the United States, hoping he could share more about it. During that time, they chatted online almost every day. Although she was usually the one initiating, he generally answered all her questions, appearing very cooperative. She wasn't someone who could lie easily, and after some hesitation, she finally revealed her true identity, only to be unsurprisingly deleted by him.

That was certainly an unpleasant memory, but since he brought it up in such a calm tone, she naturally had to act as if nothing had happened.

She laughed, turned her head to look at him, and joked, "Sure, but America isn't a place I can just go to whenever I want. You'll have to wait until I've saved up enough money for the plane ticket."

He Yajun smiled without saying a word, and remained silent for the rest of the journey.

Qiao Ruo received no reply and felt a little annoyed. She couldn't help but wonder if it was because her words were inappropriate and had dampened his enthusiasm. Fortunately, there were other tourists walking and stopping along the way, and the sounds of conversation and laughter all around her kept her from having to rack her brains to come up with a topic to fill the silence.

After passing Shuzhuang Garden, walk a little further and you'll reach the beach that He Yajun mentioned.

Unlike the seascape she saw when she first arrived on the island yesterday, the sky was now a clear, azure blue without a single cloud. The deep blue sea was lazily lapping at the beach, making a soft, gentle sound. Many adults were playing in the sand with their children, while couples strolled hand in hand along the coastline. The lighthouse in the distance faced the sea and stood quietly.

“It seems like there’s nowhere to sit,” He Yajun glanced at the high heels on her feet, which were at least eight centimeters high, and spoke again, “How about we go to my friend’s bar? It’s by the sea, and there are places to rest.”

"This is fine." Qiao Ruo looked around, then suddenly bent down, took off her high heels, held them in her hand, and walked onto the beach first.

He Yajun looked at her petite figure and straight back, smiled gently, and followed her.